My landlady put my rented flat up for sale, so I moved out. I scrubbed every corner, wanting to leave it better than I found it.
The next day, she called. I braced for complaints. Instead, she thanked me for cleaning so thoroughly. Then, voice trembling, she asked, “How come you’re so kind when most people leave a mess?”
I told her the little apartment had been my home when I arrived in the city alone, starting over. Cleaning was my quiet thank you.
She paused, then shared: the previous tenant left broken shelves, stained carpets, ruined walls, and never responded. She’d lost faith in renters.
“You reminded me people still care,” she whispered.
After hanging up, amid boxes in my new place, I realized kindness lingers. I gained nothing but restored her trust. Sometimes, we don’t know the impact of small acts, until someone calls to say they felt it.
